Agarwood or oodh (or just agar) is a dark resinous heartwood that forms in Aquilaria trees (large evergreens native to southeast Asia) when they become infected with a type of mold.
Prior to infection, the heartwood is relatively light and pale coloured, however as the infection progresses, the tree produces a dark aromatic resin in response to the attack, which results in a very dense, dark, resin embedded heartwood. The resin embedded wood is commonly called gaharu, jinko, aloeswood, agarwood, or oud (not to be confused with ‘Bakhoor’) and is valued in many cultures for its distinctive fragrance, and thus is used for incense and perfumes.
Agarwood is known under many names in different cultures:
In Hindi (India), it is known as “agar”, which is originally Sanskrit ‘aguru’ (in Bengali, it is spelled ‘aguru’)..
It is known as Chén-xīang (沉香) in Chinese, “trầm hương” in Vietnamese, and Jin-koh (沈香) in Japanese; all meaning “sinking incense” and alluding to its high density..
Both agarwood and its resin distillate/extracts are known as Oud (عود) in Arabic (literally wood) and used to describe agarwood in nations and areas in Arabic countries. Western perfumers may also use agarwood essential oil under the name “oud” or “oude”.
In Europe it was referred to as Lignum aquila (eagle-wood) or Agilawood, because of the similarity in sound of agila to gaharu.
Another name is Lignum aloes or Aloeswood. This is potentially confusing, since a genus Aloe exists (unrelated), which has medicinal uses.
The resinous heartwood of the Aquilaria tree, agarwood is regarded as the most expensive wood and oil in the world. A multi-billion dollar market demand and dwindling supplies make agarwood an excellent investment opportunity.
Indigenous to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, the Aquilaria tree grows fast, achieving maturity in around 7 years. But it isn’t the tree itself that is valuable, but rather the aromatic resinous heartwood that forms inside the tree as a natural defence against infection. This naturally occurring process is extremely rare, with less than 5% of trees producing the precious substance.
The resin, which is dark brown or black in colour is so highly prized and sought after that almost all of the natural trees have now been cut down, to the extent that it is now listed as a protected species by CITES. This means that only plantation grown trees may be licenced to be exported, limiting the global supply even further.
Such is its value, Agarwood oil and wood chips can fetch prices ranging from US$5,000 up to a staggering US$30,000 depending on grade.
Uses
The key uses of agarwood are:
Traditional Chinese, Indian, Taiwanese & Tibetan medicines.
Religion where it is used in Hindu, Islamic, Buddhist and Christian ceremonies. (Also used in marriage and burial ceremonies.)
Perfume, Aromatherapy & essential oils
Market Demand
Demand for high quality agarwood has increased dramatically but as stocks from the traditional agarwood sources are rapidly dwindling the various markets are having to seek other ways of securing supplies of the precious ’black gold’. A 2010 article in the Gulf news reported that “imports of agarwood or oudh increased by nearly 300% in four years (2004-2007)”.. Source GulfNews.com Oct 23, 2010.
There are around 80 countries that import agarwood annually but the biggest importers of the commodity are the UAE, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Taiwan. The largest exporters are Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. The value of agarwood exported from Singapore alone has been estimated to exceed $1.2 billion per annum (United Nations FAO)..
By the early 1990s, the aquilaria tree had been harvested to near extinction in Southeast Asia and was classified as an endangered species leading it to be placed on the Convention for International Trade in Endangered Species (CITIES) list. The listing makes it illegal to harvest or trade the commodity without a CITIES permit. Private sector investment in commercial and sustainable plantations has led the drive to protect the trees in the natural forest by providing a viable substitute. Yet at present, only 35% of global demand is being met by the agarwood producing countries (Forest Research Institute of Malaysia).
Growth in the population and affluence of consumer markets in Japan, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has seen demand for agarwood soar particularly over the last few years. This demand has resulted in stocks in the wild virtually disappearing, pushing up prices and leading to real concerns over future supplies.
Virgen Plantations and its partners were among the first organisations to identify a viable sustainable alternative and have tailored an exciting investment solution for clients. We obtain existing mature Aquilaria plantations and then treat them with a patented process that guarantees every tree produces agarwood.
This particular investment is typically classed as a short to medium-term investment that can produce returns from as early as the end of the third year from the investment date.
1) This oil is water distilled from fungus infected wood of the tree Aquilaria Agallocha, growing in northeastern India. Agar Oil is pale yellow to brownish yellow or dark amber viscous liquid of rich and sweet woody, almost balsamic and with a sweetness similar to that of sandalwood oil.
2) This is a large evergreen tree, 18-21 meters, sometimes up to 40 meters in height, 1.5-2.5 meters in girth, moderately straight with an often fluted stem. The leaves are 5-9 cm. long, thinly coriaceous, oblong-lanceolate, and the flowers are white, green, or dirty yellow in terminal sessile or shortly peduncled, umbellate cymes. The scent that most are familiar with is obtained by water distillation from the oleoresin/wood only after this tree has been infected with a fungal infection. Non-infected trees do not produce the highly fragrant oil or wood. This tree is found in various Southeast Asian forests, Bangladesh, Bengal, Bhutan, Burma, China, Vietnam and Cambodia. The scent is reminiscent of vetiver and sandalwood and is extremely long-lasting. It is important for us to note that the infected tree must be at least 50 years old to produce the oil.
3) Also Known As -Aloes Wood, Eaglewood, Oud, Ud, Gaharu, Wood Aloe.
4) Properties – Relieves spasm and epilepsy, inhibits the central nervous system, antibiotic, relieves pain, calming, anti-asthmatic, aphrodisiac.
5) Uses – Traditional medical uses for this product include: asthma, chest congestion, colic, diarrhea, diuretic, kidney problems, nausea, thyroid cancer, lung tumors and as a general tonic in China. In Indian Ayurvedic medicine it has been used as a cardiac tonic and carminative (relieves gas from the intestines). There is some belief that this oil may be useful in treating lymph system disorders, high blood pressure and as an anti-malarial treatment due to its chemical composition and components. It is felt that because of the difficulty in receiving this oil, alternative medicine practitioners have not investigated it. It is non-sticky and can be applied directly to the skin or can be thinned in jojoba oil. This is one of the most precious and expensive of essential oils and is truly amazing. It should be experienced by any connoisseur of essential oils. You only need to use a tiny amount of this oil at a time; be prepared for the slow release of its aroma over the next 12 hours. There is no other known oil that is this tenacious.
6) Blends with – The warming, balancing, purifying, deep woodsy, and transcendent qualities of this most unique oil blends well with Carnation, Geranium, and Sandalwood.
7) It has long been an olfactory prize for discerning noses. Agar oil, is highly valued and universally prized as ‘Otto of Roses”. Agar though little known in Assam and the North – East is a highly sought after comodity, and the premiums it commands today in the international markets has dramatically transformed the lives of families and economies of areas where its trade exists or where it is procured. One such area that has reaped and flourished from this wonderful resource is the Hojai Sub-division of Nagaon district.
8) The use of agaru is prehistoric. The aromatic Aloe wood mentioned in the Bible was no other but the heartwood of Aquilaria ovata, or agar. There is mention of the use of Aloe wood(udul-Hind) in Paradise as incense in the famous Ahadith – Sahi Al – Bukhari. Agar also finds a place in the travelogues on ancient Kamrup by Chinese pilgrim Hiuen – Tsang, besides earning a mention in Abhijnanmam Shakuntalam of Kalidasa and Arthashastra of Chanakya.
9) Agar is inextricably linked to Assam’ s rich cultural heritage. In antiquity, Assam’ s monarchs employed the used bark of the Sasi Agar tree for chronicling their royal circulars and diktats.
10) The first historical biographies in Sanskrit –the Harsha Charita written by Bana in 652 AD also chronicles the fact that among the many gifts sent by Assamese king Bhaskara Varman to Harsha, volumes of fine writing in leaves made from aloe bark and balck aloe oil occupied a very prominent place. The Nowgong grant of Balavarman gives a graphic desciption of Pragjyotisha nagara where areca nuts are wrapped in leaves of creeper of betel-plants and Krishnaguru(telegu for Agarwood) or black aloe wood trees were surrounded with cardamom creepers. It is also recorded that after conquering the last king Gaur Gobind in 1348AD ,in Sylhet ,Saint Fakir Ali Shah Jalal and his followers found agar wood and agar attar along with many other valuables in the royal store. This clearly indicates that distillation of agar oil was done as far back as 13th century or even much earlier. Abul Fazal Allami in his Ain-I-Akbari (memories of Emperor Akbar written in 1590 AD gives a vivid description of agarwood and agar oil along with their manufacturing process and uses. It is also said that the Mughals invaded Assam mainly for agaru..such was it lure.!!.
11) Revered Vaishnava saint – reformer and literary giant Sri Sankardeva, Vaisnavite saint Shri Madhab Deb also used sheets of the Agar for giving a written expression to their sermons, widely using agar for their sacred scriptures . Sri Sankardeva is also believed to have said that agar and chandana are the two divine trees capable of fulfilling human desires. Religious puthis and history was also written and copied on specially treated bark of agar trees, known since time immemorial as Sanchipat and puthis, numerous puthis some dating back to as far back as 500 years ago are still preserved in quintessentially Assamese sacred repositories such as Than,Satras and Namgarh.
12) It is nothing but a rare fungus that attaches itself to the agar tree that has made agar such a valuable and sought after product. This fungus once it establishes itself on the tree turns the woody trunks into a deep brownish black colour. The darker the woody bark turns due to fungal infection, the more valuable the wood It is the fungus that gives the agar wood its unique aroma, when it is burnt. The oleoresin is usually found where the branches fork out from the stem. Agaru or agarwood is the heavily oleoresin impregnated solid chips of wood obtained and processed from the fungus affected part of the trees. Devoid of the fungus, the agar tree in itself has no value. So it is natures value addition to the tree that commands a premium in the market.
13) The uses of Agar are many. Its aromatic bark popularly known as Agar Batti is used as incense in many a home. Its by-product Agar oil used as a base for Attars and perfumes. The heavy base notes of the Agar oil lends itself to blend well with other essential oils such as rose,ylang ylang ,and jasmine that collectively power the perfume industry,the world over. Some European perfume houses especially seek out Agar oil to create heavier muskier perfume that have enhanced Agars demand and thereby carved a special niche market for these agar dependant perfumes.
14) Agar Oil also has therapeutic uses as it is used in a large number of Unani and Ayurvedic medicines. Interestingly agar is also used to flavour common and widely used betel nut preparations such as Pan Parag and and Baba Zarda.
15) In Hojai,is sold at a rate of 100-6000 rupees per tola or 11.62 grams. In economic terms ,its value is pegged at one and half times the price of gold.
16) Once the Agar wood is procured, t is classified on the basis of quality. The less darker pieces are put into larger water drums to soften.
Once these wood pieces soften, they are ground into a powder and are put into vessels called Degs with water. Degs are then heated so as to encourage the ground agar to release the oil within it. Once the water inside the Deg reaches a certain boiling temperature then the oil from the wood along with the water vapour reaches a container called the vabka. Before reaching the vabka the water vapour that passes through a steel pipe between the Deg and the vabka is cooled what therefore reaches the Vabka is a combination of water and agar oil,with the oil floating over the water. This oil is carefully extracted with a fine syringe and then stored into a fine glass bottle to be sun –dried for the final product –the Agar Oil.
17) The need for research into this dwindling valuable resource is compelling .Except in Nagland, there is no Agar left in India. Traditional sources are drying up. Reserves in Kalibanthan and Salabasi in Indonesia are also diminishing day by day .Fortunately for traders,new sources have been discovered in Maraoca near Indonesia and Pupua New Guinea, Laos and parts of Java.
Gaharu thieves, mainly from Thailand and aided by locals and big-time financiers, are now operating in conservation forests in Sabah after they have virtually raped existing forests in the peninsular.
By BI Reporters
LAHAD DATU: Gaharu thieves have infiltrated the Maliau Basin Conservation Area (MBCA), dubbed as Sabah’s ‘Lost World’, in search of the precious agarwood (or gaharu) which, when processed can fetch thousands of ringgit in the international market.
This was the shocking discovery made during a ten-day intensive resource and wildlife inventory survey to the pristine rain forest by local researchers, including Emin Madi, a BERNAMA writer, recently.
Several members of the survey team not only found hard and fresh evidence of encroachment such as bullet casings, camping sites, hunting and fishing paraphernalia and graffiti on tree trunks but even came into close encounters with a band of suspected poachers or gaharu collectors.
Although gaharu, also known as agarwood or ‘black gold’ given its preciousness and value, is now being cultivated in plantations, it is still the variety found in the wild that finds premium prices by international buyers..
The Borneo Insider understands that gaharu thieves, mainly from Thailand and aided by locals and big-time financiers, are now operating in conservation forests in Sabah after they have virtually raped existing forests in the peninsular.
Among those experimenting with cultivated gaharu in Sabah are the Forestry Department as well as the Sabah Land Development Board which has a trial plot in Nabawan and also Litang, Lahad Datu.
But it is the private sector, including former Chief Minister Datuk Harris Salleh, who are already years ahead in this crop.
Sandalwood has been in use for at least 4,000 years of the oldest incense materials. It is a very important ingredient in Japanese and Chinese incense, in both traditional and modern formulas.
Middle eastern countries covet the sandalwood oil which can command prices of up to thousands of ringgit based on its quality.
The gaharu tree grown in the wild can reach more than 50 meters tall. The tree reaches its full maturity in 60 to 80 years, which is when the center of the trunk has achieved its greatest oil content.
As the tree grows, the essential oil develops in the roots and heartwood, which requires at least 15 to 20 years. Full maturity is reached after 60 to 80 years. The core of dark heartwood gradually develops,, which is covered by outer sapwood.
Sandalwood essential oil is distilled from the roots and heartwood of trees. The scent, called chandana, is in aromatherapy used to induce a calm and meditative state. The lasting fragrance only improves with age.
According to mythology, sandalwood originally grew only in heaven’s gardens. Temple gates and religious statues are carved from the wood because of this spiritual association, the exquisite scent, and because it is impermeable to termites and other insects.
Sandalwood also has an age-old reputation as an aphrodisiac, and in fact, its fragrance is similar to the human pheromone, alpha androsterole.
The scent of sandalwood has a soft, warm, woody, and balsamic fragrance.
Its therapeutic properties includes – antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, astringent, sedative, insecticide, urinary and lung antiseptic; relieves lung congestion and nausea.
One of sandalwood’s most important uses is to sedate the nervous system, subduing nervousness, anxiety, insomnia, and to some degree, reducing nerve pain. Researchers have found it relaxes brain waves..
Suitable for all complexion types, it is especially useful on rashes, inflammation, acne, and dry, dehydrated, or chapped skin.
At one time gaharu poachers were known to be operating in the jungles of Pensiangan as well as the Marak Paak Forest Reserve, and the Borneo Insider believes that the Forestry Department is well aware of this crime.
Many of you will be familiar with the smell of synthetic Oud in modern perfumes. This is not what we are talking about. We are talking about oud from nature, from a tree. Most of you would not have come across this smell in daily life unless you have spent some time in an Islamic culture. We will explore this culture today through the prism of scent.
Oud is highly valued by perfumers for its sweet, woody, aromatic and complex scent. It is a classical note in perfumery, most often used as a base note.
Oud is also called Agarwood. It comes from the wood of the tropical Agar (Aquilaria) tree, believed to have originated in the Assam region of India, and spread from there throughout Southeast Asia. When the wood of this tree gets infected with a certain mold variety (Phialophora parasitica), it reacts by producing a precious, dark and fragrant resin from which is where the perfume ingredient is derived.
The first thing your sense of smell picks up in an Arab house is the heady aroma of Oudh wafting in the air..
Oudh is considered as a supreme fragrance in the Gulf countries.
In Qatar, Oudh is burned as a mark of respect and hospitality and is a traditional gesture of welcoming and honouring guests. In fact, Oudh is considered an important feature at most social occasions..
Oudh, which simply means wood in Arabic, has an extraordinary pedigree. Also known as aloes and agarwood, Oudh is found in the forests of South East Asia.
It is an aromatic resin found in certain species of Aquilaria and Gyrinops trees. The resin is produced by the tree as an immune response to a fungus – Phialophora parasitica – that invades the tree and over many years spreads through it.
It is believed that it takes as long as 300 years for the fungus to spread through the bark of the tree. Unlike the otherwise pale wood of the tree, infected sections are dark and extremely heavy. In fact, the Chinese and Japanese terms for Oudh translate as ‘the wood that sinks in water’.
The best grade of Oudh is hard, nearly black and very heavy. In general, Oudh becomes inferior as it becomes lighter in tone, flecked with diminishing amounts of resin.
Agarwood is an aromatic resinous wood that forms within some Aquilaria trees. It is also produced in a closely related genus called Gyrinops. Both of these trees, classified in the Thymelaeaceae family, grew sparsely in the rain forests of Asia but are now considered endangered in most countries and rarely found in natural forests.
For thousands of years this resinous wood was burned as incense during meditation and prayer to help people achieve a higher level of consciousness and a state of deep inner peace. Many religious groups including Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, Taoists and Christians consider agarwood the most precious of materials. Agarwood incense is said to have a calming effect and to increase body energy or “chi”. It is also an important component of traditional Chinese and Malay medicine. Its pleasing fragrance has been enjoyed throughout the world and has developed into a beautiful aromatic art form in Japan called the koh-doh ceremony..
Not all agarwood is exactly the same and slight differences in aroma are common. Incense masters form the 16th century identified several types and named them Rakoku, Manaban, Sasora, and Sumatora with flavors like spicy, sweet, salty, and bitter. The one that is considered to have the most elegant scent, Kayara, combines all the flavors together in the same piece of agarwood. Today’s incense masters can determine the regional origin of the agarwood from its aroma and can even differentiate slight variances that may be found in agarwood from within one region. The essence of agarwood is due to complex compounds produced by the tree called sesquiterpenes and chromones. The type and quantity of the many diverse compounds in the resinous wood create the fragrance. These compounds are produced as a defense mechanism in the living tree to ward off microbial attack and are developed only under very specific circumstances. New methods to cultivate agarwood in plantation grown trees stimulate these naturally occurring compounds. Normally produced in old growth trees and taking decades to accumulate, the resin can now be produced in young trees. Farmed trees in small plantations and home gardens are being used to produce the cultivated agarwood in the Scented Mountain Products. For more information on agarwood cultivation and projects to help the poor in developing countries of Asia see the University of Minnesota’s agarwood research project web page.
Why are Agarwood prices so high?
Because of high demand & short supply…
Currently most agarwood comes from trees growing in natural forests and due to habitat destruction and unsustainable harvesting many species of agarwood are now potentially threatened with extinction.
For this reason the genera of Aquilaria, Gyrinops and Gonystylus that include around 30 species from which agarwood comes are now listed on Appendix II of the Convention for the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES).
Much of the agarwood currently traded does not qualify for CITES permits so it is traded across borders illegally (smuggled). This further adds to the costs because smugglers expect high margins in return for the bribes they pay and the risks they take.
The Chinese tuhao, the nouveau riche, have been making headlines in China and abroad this year. Reports of tuhao and tuhao dama (rich greedy middle-aged women) crowding out luxury shops and fighting for gold ornaments in China and in cities around the world have become commonplace.
But there is another wave of Chinese who could buy LV, Prada or Hermès, gold and rare stones but look for something else. They want rare things that few others can own. These are the new breed of collectors who amass quiet piles of treasures with knowledge and an anticipation that these will accumulate wealth.
For most people a piece of agarwood (gingko or aloeswood) looks like any other piece of deadwood. But for Sun Guang’e, the curator of the Shanghai Jiahe Agarwood Culture Museum, who has been collecting and studying agarwood for 20 years, agarwood is not just a delicately scented wood but a cultural heritage.
Regarded as the “diamond of wood”, good examples of agarwood at the international auction houses Sotheby’s and Christie’s fetch more than $10,000 a gram, 100 times the price of gold. Compared with art, jade and porcelain, agarwood is becoming a very popular collector’s item for wealthy Chinese although the tuhao seem to miss out here. “Most tuhao wouldn’t know about agarwood. They spend tens of millions of yuan on fake or poor-quality agarwood, which is a pity,” Sun Guang’e said.
Origins are vital
Sun said that to distinguish good agarwood from low-quality stuff, a collector must first know where the agarwood comes from. Agarwood contains a resin generated from only a rare species of fungus-infected evergreen trees. These trees only grow in certain warm and wet areas. In Asia the tree species include aquilaria sinensis which is found in China’s Hainan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi and Guangdong, along with aquilaria agallocha from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, and aquilaria crassna from Malaysia and Indonesia. The price for agarwood varies from hundreds of yuan to tens of thousands of yuan per gram depending on the quality of the example.
Agarwood is precious because of the way it is formed. Only a few specific species of trees are affected by the fungus which provokes the trees into producing the rich rare resin and oil that make agarwood so distinctive. It is also a lengthy process. In the aquilaria sinensis tree species it takes at least 30 years to produce the resin and high-quality resin will need another 20 years to develop.
Looking for and processing agarwood is painstaking. Sun Guang’e recalled a search for agarwood with farmers on Wuzhi Mountain in Hainan Province in 2007. It took her four hours on a motorbike to arrive at an area deep in a forest where agarwood might be found. They camped there for a month.
The Science about Agarwood
Hunting at night
Experts can only hunt for agarwood at night in the dark. When they smelt the aroma, the farmers marked the spot on the ground and returned in daylight to check their finds. The resin-bearing trees are often found in swamps which can make the search physically dangerous.
Then the process of removing the deadwood and exposing the resin-affected parts of the trees can take another six months.
The value of agarwood is dependent upon the aroma it produces. Top-quality agarwood should include six scents – fish, spicy, mint, sweet, herbaceous and bitter. “Agarwood aromas are used in traditional medicine to help heal people and also for pure pleasure,” Sun said.
Agarwood was used in China 2,000 years ago but then it was a product fit for the royal court and only emperors, empresses and concubines could enjoy it. “Even in the Sui Dynasty (581-618) and the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the resin was regarded as very precious although aristocrats used it constantly, either in a powdered form or putting it in water to wash their faces. In the old days people measured tea and ordinary crops by what they called a dan which equaled 75 kilograms, gold was measured by the ton but agarwood was only measured by the liang which equaled 50 grams – which shows how rare it was even then,” she said.
The earliest records of agarwood are found in Chinese medical writings. According to the Compendium of Materia Medica, or Bencao Gangmu (a book on Chinese herbal medicine compiled by Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) doctor Li Shizhen), the most important thing about agarwood was its many applications in medicine. “The six different scents of agarwood have different functions. The fish scent is good for the nerves, the spicy scent stimulates the mind, the herbal scent has an anesthetic effect, the sweet scent is good for the lungs, the mint is refreshing, and the bitter scent can reduce internal heat. These natural smells are completely different from the synthetic scents used in perfumes,” Sun Guang’e said.
She has seen the positive effect of agarwood herself. A few years ago when Sun’s mother was hospitalized with a serious heart complaint, Sun gave her some small pieces of agarwood. Her mother recovered but the women she shared a room with in the hospital and who were suffering from similar complaints died. Sun believes the agarwood saved her mother’s life.
Because it is rare and extremely valuable some traders try to sell fake agarwood. Sun was given one piece of fake agarwood cleverly disguised as the real thing, imbedded in a piece of a genuine tree. She eventually burned a fragment and immediately smelt traces of asphalt which would not be detectable in the genuine article.
Plantations cultivated
Although agarwood plantations are being cultivated in Hainan Province, Sun does not think the quality of this agarwood is anywhere near the quality of the natural product. “Artificially grown agarwood is infected by a synthetic fungus, and the resin is cultivated and grown quickly.. The scent and the quality cannot match the natural product.”
The Chinese tuhao have also taken to buying elegant furniture and carvings made of wumu, black fossilized ebony. It achieves its unique density and colors from being buried underground for thousands of years..
While most trees buried for thousands of years become coal, a few turn into this rare type of wood that when polished becomes an ideal form for carving delicate and beautiful pieces of furniture or ornamentation.
Zhu Ping, the director of the Wood Science Research Center of the Shanghai Timber Trade Association, said wumu is wood at an early stage of silicification where it could become, over thousands of years, a stonelike substance.
Because of its rarity and because it is now so expensive and hard to find, it made the headlines recently. In September, Liang Cai, a villager from Xiushui county in Jiangxi Province extracted a huge 80-ton block of wumu from a nearby river. He used an excavator and spent a great deal of time and money on the project mainly because he believed the wumu was worth millions of yuan.
Government claim
However under Chinese law, anything recovered from below ground belongs to the State unless the finder can prove that his forebears owned it legally. The local government immediately claimed the block of wumu and although scientific testing has not yet established exactly how much it could be worth, the action created a good deal of controversy.
Most recently the government has offered to compensate him 75,000 yuan ($12,356) for the expense he incurred in the extraction.
Of all the varieties of wumu, a type found mainly in Sichuan and produced from a laurel tree species is the most highly prized. Items made from this can fetch millions of yuan, a hundred times the cost of other types of wumu.
But not every collector knows what he or she is getting. “In the past, this laurel tree wumu was mostly used for making coffins because of its quality. Now investors and speculators are driving the price up even though there is still a great deal of this buried in Sichuan Province. And many tuhao collectors know little about this and less about what wumu is exactly. They buy carved ornaments that have been made from coffin wood and don’t realize their origins,” Zhu said.
In the 1960s, when Xu Guoxi, the antiques’ connoisseur of the Art Identification Center at the Shanghai Federation of Literary and Art Circles, started to work in antiques and artworks, Chinese mila, a form of amber, was not valued as highly as amber. Mila is a yellow resin like amber, but is formed under different conditions and is not as transparent.
However, perhaps because of the cultural background, mila is becoming popular among collectors. Overseas it is often used to make jewelry but few foreigners collect it as such.
“Because nowadays Chinese calligraphy, jade, porcelain and other traditional antiques fetch high prices and there are fewer quality items, rich people have begun looking at mila. And obviously some crooks are now making fake mila items,” said Xu.
Fakes prevalent
Other collectors are amassing rhinoceros horn. Xu said in the 1960s rhinoceros horn cost 96 yuan for 30 grams, a little more expensive than gold which was then 94 yuan for 30 grams. Today rhinoceros horn is priced at more than 100,000 yuan for 50 grams. Fakes are also prevalent here. “Some people have worked out a way of fashioning horses’ hooves into rhino horns,” Xu said.
He warned that although more wealthy Chinese have begun collecting rare items, not everyone can make a profit through collecting. Successful collectors need financial resources and courage – “You have to be confident with the money you spend collecting.” They also need to be aware. “As the market expands there are more and more fakes being offered. People make money selling fake items because the buyers don’t know enough about their collections.” Finally a successful collector needs patience. “You can’t make money by selling a collection soon after you have acquired it. You have to wait for the price to rise and it is not always easy to sell good items.”
It has a very pleasing odor and the oil that can be extracted from it has many uses, it gained a lot of cultural and religious significance since the ancient times. The scent of agarwood is claimed to allow a person to achieve a very peaceful and pleasant state of mind. Therefore, for thousands of year it has been used to manufacture incense that is burnt during meditation and prayer..
It is said that agarwood scent allows an individual to achieve a level of deep inner peace and increasing energy levels in a body. It even has medicinal values and being used in traditional Malay and Chinese medicine. Some applications of the medicine include treatment for respiratory and heart-related problems. As agar oil does not contain alcohol, it is used as the base oil for manufacturing perfumes in the Arabic countries. Also, the oil in its pure can even be used for various purposes. Many perfume manufacturers also used agar oil as their base oil in manufacture.
Market and Prices
Agarwood Market Demand
The consumer market for Agarwood is well developed in the Middle East and Northeast Asia where Agarwood has been used for over one thousand years. Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok are major traders of Agarwood while Thailand,, Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia are major producers. The increasing scarcity of illegal forest Agarwood makes plantation grown Agarwood much sought after to meet global demand.
Taiwan Market Demand
Taiwan has long been a major trader in Agarwood for both medicinal and cultural uses. According to official records, 6,843 tonnes of unprocessed Agarwood was imported to Taiwan in the ten years to 2003. Prices of Agarwood for medicinal use vary between US$ 3,000 to US$ 30,000 per kilogram and processed oil between US$ 7,000 to US$ 61,000 a litre. Large high quality pieces suitable for ornamental sculptures can sell for up to US$ 100,000 per kilogram.
Japan Market Demand
In Osaka, Japan, a shop known as Jinkoh-ya (literally, “Agarwood Store”) has been trading Agarwood products for over 350 years. During the period 1991-1998, according to official Customs figures, 277,396 kilograms of unprocessed Agarwood was imported into Japan, or an average of over 34 tonnes a year. A 2004 price survey of unprocessed Agarwood pieces found prices ranging from US$ 320 to US$ 22,700 per kilogram with the highest grades selling for between US$ 9,000 to US$ 272,000 per kilogram.
Middle East Market Demand
Demand for Agarwood products in the Middle East significantly exceeds Eastern Asia. One well known Saudi Arabian retailer specializing in oud (agar oil) has over 550 retail outlets across 17 countries with over 600,000 customers and is one of the world’s largest perfume retailers in a market worth US$ 3.3 billion a year. The company imports 45 tonnes of unprocessed Agarwood yearly to produce 400 different fragrances with oud as the basic ingredient and has a production capacity of 30 million bottles of perfume a year.
Agarwood may be the answer to finding a more peaceful state of mind in today’s hectic society. The dark, resin-rich heartwood has been considered helpful to mental, physical and spiritual well-being by many cultures around the world. In fact, agarwood has played a central role in some cultures for thousands of years. But could this special substance really have a place in modern society?
What is Agarwood?
Agarwood, often sold in fragments called agarwood chips, is the name for a special type of heartwood found in only a select species of trees. These trees are susceptible to a certain type of mold, in reaction to this mold,, they produce the richly scented, dark resin that gives agarwood its unique aromatic properties. Nothing else in nature has the complex, distinctive, pleasing aroma of agarwood.
What Type of Agarwood Works Best?
Agarwood can be sold in a number of different forms. The most common are agarwood chips, as mentioned above. Cultivated agarwood is becoming more common, and cultivated agarwood chips are therefore gaining in popularity. They’re the same as wild agarwood, but cultivated agarwood is renewable. Cultivated agarwood chips can be heated in a special warmer (often available from the same merchants that sell agarwood chips) to release the scent of the resin. There are also ready-made agarwood incense products. If the heat or burning associated with incense or warming raw agarwood chips isn’t convenient, there is also an essential oil produced from wild and/or cultivated agarwood.
How to Use Agarwood to Sooth Stress
Chinese, Indian, Japanese, and Tibetan cultures have long believed agarwood to have calming, stress-relieving properties. Using this ancient remedy isn’t difficult—simply find the most convenient way to enjoy its rich,, calming scent. If you’d prefer not to use agarwood chips or traditional incense, try experimenting with other forms of wild and cultivated agarwood fragrances. Essential oil produced from cultivated agarwood chips can be used in diffusers (doing double duty as air freshner), diluted and used as a linen spray, or even used as a perfume. Small drops can be placed behind the ears or on the pulse points, to carry the soothing scent of agarwood with you all day long.
Do Agarwood Chips Really Relieve Stress?
As with any remedy, agarwood may have differing effects for different people. Many people have found relief from agarwood, and almost everyone can enjoy this ancient fragrance in some manner.
For those with any interest in aromatherapy and fragrances, understanding agarwood, its history, and its uses is a must. This precious resin-saturated heartwood has been treasured since the beginning of written history, by countless cultures the world over, due to its special, one-of-a-kind fragrance.
In order to understand what makes agarwood so special, however, more than its fragrance must be taken into account. Agarwood chips have always been considered precious due to their relative difficulty to obtain. Agarwood is not simply the wood of specific species of trees, like the aromatic sandalwood. Instead, a special biological interaction between these trees and an invasive mold serves as the catalyst for agarwood production.
Its rarity in combination with its rich scent has resulted in the prominence of agarwood chips, incense, and oils around the world. In addition to being considered a precious resource due to its fragrance, other benefits have also been ascribed to agarwood.
Medicinal Benefits
Many cultures around the world have traditionally used agarwood in the treatment of various ailments. Traditional Chinese medicine has long considered products made from agarwood chips to be beneficial to those suffering from digestive ailments,, for example. Likewise, powdered agarwood was used in Indian Ayurvedic medicine for similar complaints.
Spiritual Benefits
Such a precious resource naturally has been linked with spiritual health and well-being as well. Ayurvedic traditions have suggested that burning cultivated agarwood chips can produce a pleasant and productive atmosphere for meditation. Likewise, Tibetan practitioners have traditionally believed the use of agarwood chips or their extracts to have a positive influence on mental and emotional well-being.
Other Benefits
Agarwood has played an important role in human history for thousands of years, so it should come as no surprise that the uses for and benefits of agarwood chips are nearly endless. Agarwood chips can be used to achieve balance within a home, as it is embraced by practitioners of feng shui as well. It has gained notoriety as an aromatherapy ingredient, and even an aphrodisiac. Some people even wear bracelets with beads crafted from agarwood chips. And of course, it has always been a staple of the beauty industry thanks to its long-lasting, beautiful scent.
Trying Agarwood For Yourself
A multitude of agarwood products are available, from freshly harvested wild chips, to carefully tended cultivated agarwood chips, oils, and perfumes. Explore agarwood’s many benefits with an open mind, and you may be surprised!
Vietnam Agarwood 